Motor arrangement for aircraft



fw. H. BARLI NG.

MOTOR ARRANGEMENT FOR AIRCRAFT Filed April 8, 1924 Llk lN VENTOR will 56/ H B B J" C; TORN )Eii'i g 4 Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES -WALTER H. BARLING, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

MOTOR ARRANGEMENT FOR AIRCRAFT.

Application filed April 8, 1924. Serialflb. 705,013.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, WALTEnI-I. BARLING,

a subject of Great Britain, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor Arrangements for Aircraft, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the motor arrangement of large aircraft. The primary object of the invention is the arrangement of the propeller units upon the aircraft so that the moments of-each unit about the central vertical axis of theaircraft is the same so that there is no tendency of the aircraft to turn about a vertical axis from different units on either side of the aircraft when inv use.

Further objects will be more fully set forth in the attached specification, in the claims, and in the drawings, .in which:

' Fig. 1 is the plan view of an aircraft embodiment with the upper planes removed.

ldig. 2 is a front elevation of the aircraft. an

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof.

For the purposes of illustration I have shown my invention in the form of a large airplane of the triplane type, in which two sets or units furnishing the propulsion means of the vehicle are used upon each side of the longitudinal axis .of the airplane. i

Referringmore particularly to the drawings by reference numerals, a fuselage 1 is provided with an upper plane 2, a'lower plane 3 of substantially the same size, and an intermediate plane 4 which is considerably shorter in cord length than the upper and lower planes. The usual tail surfaces 5 are provided.

Mounted one on each side of the fuselage and equallyspaced therefrom are the two propelling units designated 6 and 7. These units are supported between the planes 4 and 3 by means of a suitable bracing arrange- Each inside propelling unit 6 and 7 comprises two motors, of preferably equal power, designated 8 and 9 which may not be coupled together. The'rear'motor 8 in each case drives a pusher propeller 10 and the forward motor 9 drives the tractor propeller 11, these two proppllcrs also being of equal power and 0 sn stantially e ual thrust. The pusher propellers 10 are coated slightly .to the rear of the trailing edge of the intermediate plane 4 so corresponding outside propeller unit.

that the propeller will not, interfere with this intermedlate plane, but will rotate in a circular path located in front of the traihng edges of the upper and lower planes.

Arranged outside of these two inside propelling units, propeller units 12 and 13, each of which comprises a motor 14 and a tractor propeller 15. It will be understood that the power and thrust ofthe propellers 15 are approximately equal to the power and thrust of the propellers 10 and 11; Also that the motor 14 is of the same and 9 of the inside un t. The space between the inside propeller unit and the fuselage is arranged so that it will be equal tothe space between the inside propeller unit and the In case one orboth of the motors of the inside unit is mounted on a fuselage extension the same spacing would apply. Such an arrangement insures that the turning momenttending to turn the air plane about a vertical axis which will be exerted by either of the outside propeller units, will be equal to the turning moment exerted by the corresponding propeller unit inside. It will therefore be possible to use various combinations of motors and various arrangements of .propeller units, at the same time without necessitating the use of the vertical rudder as a means for maintaining the airplane in a straight flight. The two outside propeller units only can be used together and the two inside units can be used together and the balance of the ship maintained, or all of the units may be used at one time. The forward inside motor may be used with a rear inside motor on the opposite side of the axis of the airplane. In addition to the above,'oneoutside propeller unit may be used in combination with the two motors of the corresponding opposite inside propeller unit.

It will be clear that in an arrangement as just described, six motors, four, three, or two motors can be used without unbalancing the turning moments of the ship. I am aware that my invention is susceptible of use in aircraft where a great nnm r .of propeller units are used at various spacings from the longitudinal axis of theF aircraft, and I do not desire my invention to be limited except as we find in the following claims.

I claim 1. In an aircraft in combination, a central fuselage, a supporting plane, a pair of 6 and 7, are the two outside power as the motors 8 propelling units spaced one on each side of the central longitudinal plane of the aircraft, and a second pair of propelling units spaced one on each side of the fuselage, the distance between the units of the second pair being substantially twice the distance between'the units of the first said pair, and the normal power of each said first unit being substantially twice the power of each second unit. x

2. In an aircraft, in combination, a central fuselage, a sup orting plane, a propelling unit on each si e of said fuselage each spaced a distance therefrom, a second propelling unit on each side of said fuselage each laterally removed fronr the first men tioned propelling unit, the normal moment of each of said first units about a central vertical axis of the aircraft being substantially equal to the normal moment of each of said second units.

3. In an aircraft, in combination, a central fuselage, a supporting plane, a propelling unit on each s ide of said fuselage each spaced a distance therefrom, a second propelling unit on each side of said fuselage each laterally removedofrom the first mentioned propelling unit, the normal moment of each of said first units about a central vertical axis of the aircraft being substantially equal to the normal moment of each of said second units, each of said first mentioned units including a tractorand a pusher propeller.

In an aircraft in combination a central fuselage, a supporting plane, a pair of propelling units spaced one on each side of the central longitudinal lane of the aircraft, and a second pair of opelalling units r spaced one on each side of t e selage, the

single motor and a single propeller, all of the motors being equal 1n power.

5. In a triplane, having a central fusela 'e, a large upper and lower plane, and a smaller intermediate plane having a trailing edge located forwardly of the trailing edges of the upper and lower planes, four propelling units arranged between the lower and intermediate planes and consisting of two inside propelling units located one on each side of the fuselage, and equally spaced therefrom, each of said propelling units consisting of two motors of equal power, one of said motors driving a tractor propeller located in advance of the leading edges of the planes and the second motor driving a usher ropeller located in advance of t e trai ing edges of the upper and lower planes, but to the rear of the trailing edge of the intermediate plane, and a second pair of propeller units spaced one on each side of the. fuselage, the distance between the units of the second pair being substantially twice the distance between the units of the first mentioned ropeller units, each of said second pair o propelling units consisting of a motor and a propeller of substantially equal power to that of the motors of the inside propelling units.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. I

WALTER H. BARLING. 

